Body piercing, which is a form of body modification, is the practice of puncturing the human body to create an opening for jewelry to be inserted. The term piercing refers to both the act of creating the opening in the body and the opening itself. Ear piercing is the most common type of body piercing, and has been popular for quite some time. However, other types of body piercings have become more popular and socially accepted in recent years, including nose piercings, naval piercings, lip piercings, tongue piercings, and eyebrow piercings.
Body jewelry, such as an ear ring, that is worn in body piercings typically includes a decorative jewelry portion and a backing portion. The decorative jewelry often includes a stem or shaft that extends through the piercing in a person's body, and the backing is received at an end of the stem or shaft after insertion of the jewelry to prevent the jewelry from falling out. The backing of the jewelry may be retained on the stem by friction, or it may be threaded onto the stem. In either case, securing the backing to the jewelry, and to a lesser extent removal of the backing, can be difficult and frustrating due to the small size of the backing. Aligning the backing with the stem and securing the backing onto the stem is often not easily accomplished due to the positioning of the jewelry on the body.
Thus, there is a need for a body jewelry applicator or tool that makes securing a backing to a piercing easier and less time consuming.